Good crusher?

[ttaje16]

I am looking to get a crusher before the upcoming season and because of where I live (Edmonton, Alberta) none of the local shops carry any so I would be paying high shipping costs etc.

For the first time I found someone selling one on a buy and sell and I am wondering if anyone had used one like it. It only has one roller. The add says it works well with grapes but I'm not sure.
Just want some reassurance before Iake a 2 hour drive.

TIA

 

[mainshipfred]

They don't separate the stems and I never used one but I believe they do work.

 

[winemaker81]

It will crush the grapes against the side of the unit. It should do the job, and as @mainshipfred said, you'll need to manually pull out the large stems.

 

[Ajmassa]

I forget who it was but I remember someone posting about buying one of these spikey one-roller crushers before. Used it just one season and got rid of it for the standard style I believe. And Think he was Canada as well.

if no other options and cheap enough then go for it. Worst case scenario ya gotta mash a little more w/ a 2x4. But at least you’ll have something until the right deal comes along.

 

[Rocktop]

Yep, I used one last year, I made a stand for it so it sat at eye height, made a mesh screen to sit underneath it to screen out the majority of the stems.
I have one for sale with a motor if you like. ;-) Just have to get to BC...
Thread with photo.

I went to a stainless crusher destemmer unit this year but we used one similiar to yours for years and years. We used to sit it over a barrel, and made a basket of chicken wire that sat underneath, about every lug or so had to pull off the crusher and shake the basket to get all the hanging on grapes to fall through and picked out all the stems. It wasn't ideal but many hands makes for light work and we knew no better. Did the job and made lots of good wine with it.


RT

 

[ttaje16]

I ended up picking it up. The thing is a beast but should be way better than me trying to use my hands and a potato masher. Did 8 lugs like that every year for the past 4 years and it is not fun.

I like the idea of the mesh below the crusher. I usually use a milk crate to separate the stems but I think I can make something to adapt the milk crate to fit on a bucket.

 

[mbrssmd]

It appears to be the same construction as the one I used the last two years. It did the job as a crusher, but a word of caution about the need to be particularly diligent at cleanup time with regard to the inside of the cylinder. I discovered to my chagrin, when getting it out two weeks later for another harvest, that it's a favorite spot for a few rogue grapes to hide and turn nasty. They rolled out as I was setting things up...

 

[ttaje16]

It appears to be the same construction as the one I used the last two years. It did the job as a crusher, but a word of caution about the need to be particularly diligent at cleanup time with regard to the inside of the cylinder. I discovered to my chagrin, when getting it out two weeks later for another harvest, that it's a favorite spot for a few rogue grapes to hide and turn nasty. They rolled out as I was setting things up...

I am hoping that it comes apart rather easy so I can clean it better. Want to get the roller in the sink because all attached it might be bigger than our tub haha